Are You An Opportunity Seeker? You Capitalist!

Warning: I am on my soapbox today!

Now here is term that can be taken two ways: one is that you are looking for a way to make a living through a “prepackaged” opportunity and the other is the more daring, entrepreneurial seeker/creator of opportunities.

The first one tends to be the guy who is looking for a get rich quick (GRQ) system.  They will sign up for anything that says, “Learn how you can make $1000 a day while sleeping”.  Anyone who has ever signed up for one of those programs knows that they are forever on a mailing list of opportunity seekers, which is then sold to similar GRQ programs.  Chain letters, free money, casino riches - you know the type.

Now, I am talking about the entrepreneurial spirit type of opportunity seeker.  Like a blood hound, they are always sniffing the air for some way to make a living through ingenuity and persistence.  Anyone who is this kind of opportunity seeker knows that it will take a bit of imagination coupled with dogged determination to see a project through.  But that is the fun of it!

The ones who are doubly blessed are opportunity seekers that are looking for ways that benefit mankind, their neighbor - and still make an honest living.

These are tough times.  While whole banks are failing and business on Wall street are melting down due to an accumulation of bad business practices, there is going to the opportunity seeker rising from the ashes.  Not to take advantage of the common man’s misfortune and to prey on others dying hopes.

No, the new breed of opportunity seeker will be a man or woman that sees a need, no matter how small, and reaches out to fill it.  He or she will take his or her talent to aid in rebuilding in their community.  And yes, they may capitalize on it, just not in an abusive way which way is the reason for our current economic status.

Had the past generation of opportunity seekers not been so greedy, we wouldn’t be in this current state of affairs.  But we are and the new breed of capitalists will rise and take their place.  A more thoughtful capitalist.

And before you curse capitalism, remember the true definition of capitalist and not the media’s twisted version.

The media and TV make out all businessman/capitalist out to be a greedy claim jumper that makes his living on the flesh of mankind.  They would have you believe that capitalists take and never give.  They prey on the weak and poor - grabbing their last dime.  The media would have you think that all capitalists are in the same league as PT Barnum, the circus man, who is quoted as saying, “There is a sucker born every minute”.

While there are a few wretches who may operate this way, most true capitalists are folks like your mechanic, selling his talents to repair your car.   The produce market is owned by a capitalist - he expects to make some profit on the goods he sells you or you wouldn’t have access to the produce.  The fellow who drills for oil needs to make at least some profit to stay ahead.  He isn’t greedy if he makes a profit.  If a guy designs and sells software that makes life easier for someone else, even he should make a fair profit.  Hey, even any pop star, athlete or celebrity is a pure capitalist - he or she wouldn’t act or compete for free.

The problem seems to come in as to what “fair profit” is?  Well, several factors come in. If an item is a need like basic food, basic clothes and simple shelter, then I submit that even this should give the seller some profit - just perhaps not a usurious margin.

But when it comes to things we want, over and above those basics, then frankly, fair profit is what people will pay.  Sure most of us won’t be able to afford a Rolls Royce or a house in Manalapan, FL, but those aren’t needs.  Maybe you can’t afford what you want to afford but if you live in America, Great Britain and much of the western world, you can still do something about it.

After all, ask yourself, if you made a widget that helps make life better for someone else and people want it enough to pay for it, are you just going to say no, I want you to have it for free.  Even the guys who design open source software earn a living selling themselves to a boss for wages.

Don’t berate the business man or woman that earns millions and can afford to drive a Rolls.  Most of them started out just like you and saw an opportunity.  They came by their wealth through honest hard work selling you something you wanted: an iPod, Lancome cosmetics, Apple laptop, Lexus, etc.  You don’t need any of those items.  But nothing is stopping you from pulling yourself up by the bootstraps and cranking it up a notch to get the things you want.  Be an opportunity seeker!

Thank God for honest business men and women who seek opportunities to make products we want and services that make out lives more efficient.  They are what true capitalism is about.

P.S.  Next time you are tempted to rank on capitalists, remember it is capitalism that:

• Provides you with a job that you can choose to leave or to improve your station
• Encourages competition between businesses which in turn gives you variety and choice so we have more than one brand as well as more than one price level — not one brand of peaches, one type of car or truck, one clothing store, more than one grocery store to choose from.  None of us likes the idea of always having to shop at Walmart so there is Target and Fred Meyers and others.
• This competition causes mp3 players, cars, and houses, for example, to be more affordable since there are more than one to choose from
• Allows anyone ANYONE to climb the ranks and improve their station in life.  And yes, this is tough.  It is one thing to have a great idea.  It is still another to make it happen.
• Provides schools have books and computers and extension programs
• Offers assistance to the truly needy
• If you are enjoying using the Internet to earn a living or even just to find useful information, you can thank a capitalist.

As my grandfather used to tell folks who griped about the greed in business and government, “Perhaps your troubles would be better solved with a one way ticket to Communist China or Cuba?”

End of rant, for today!

Tags:big business,business ethics,capitalism,capitalist,entrepreneur,opportunity seeker,small business

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